


Black and White

by orphan_account



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews Needs a Hug, Archie needs a hug, Bisexual Archie, Jarchie - Freeform, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Jughead needs a hug, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Soulmates, Suicide, demisexual jughead, jughead is depressed, two lover boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 15:53:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13639449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Fred had told Archie about colours, about how when he met Mary, she was the one to give him colours. He told Archie that she had the prettiest brown hair, fiery hair and snowy skin. He didn't know the colour green or the blue of the ocean, the yellow of a lemon or pink on a flower. His father said he just had to wait until he found his soulmate.orSoulmate au where Jughead is Archie’s soulmate.





	Black and White

Fred had told Archie about colours, about how when he met Mary, she was the one to give him colours. He told Archie that she had the prettiest brown hair, fiery hair and snowy skin. He didn't know the colour green or the blue of the ocean, the yellow of a lemon or pink on a flower. His father said he just had to wait until he found his soulmate.

Archie had feared since he was a child that he would not find the one to bring him colours, but now at the age of twenty he had found himself a small house on the outskirt of Riverdale and had a handful of friends from high school. He had tried to date, a lot actually but he couldn't keep it up more then a week or two. His friend Betty had found her soulmate when she was only six in the playground and couldn't remember how it was like to only see black and white.

Archie envied his friend sometime, when she brought a beautiful girl named Veronica with her club night. But he couldn't be mad at Betty for finding her soulmate, it was something every human craved and if you found them you would love the person with everything you had.  
   
It was a rainy monday when Archie stepped into a tiny library, he wasn't necessarily going to loan a book, but he didn't want to walk in the rain. Shaking his head like a dog he walked trough the glass door, small drops of water dripping out of his hair.

A bunch of teenagers, his age maybe sat on the floor and Archie froze. Suddenly, he could see everything. The flaming orange shirt a boy wore and the blue book in his hand. The light brown wooden floor, the yellow walls but of course he didn't know which name stood for which colour.

He didn't know anything and he was so overwhelmed he didn't notice the small boy in the corner, not a part of the rest but not on his own either, stare at Archie with wide eyes.

It wasn't until Archie connected the dots; his soulmate is here. He thought and looked around. None of the teenagers looked at him, except one, a black hoodie covered his upper body and the boy looked like he was swimming in it. He also had dark jeans and boots.

Archie couldn't put a name on the colours he saw on the boy except for the black, but he had long eyelashes and sharp cheekbones. The colour of his eyes was something Archie had never seen, granted he had never seen any of this before, but he thought that if he was ever to go back to black and white he would be okay with that cause he would always remember this boy's eyes.

The boy seemed to eye him as well and Archie marched straight up to him. He crouched down and felt the stares of the others but the only thing that he could focus on was the small boy.

“Hello,” Archie breathed and cupped the boys cheek. Up close the boy's eyes looked strangely dead, hopeful, maybe, as he eyed Archie.

“Hi,” the boy whispered back.

“You see it too, right?” The boy nodded and that was all Archie needed, his mouth twitched into a huge grin.

“I’m Archie,”

“Jughead.” The boy, Jughead, said and carefully smiled up at Archie. The later beamed and rested his forehead against Jughead’s.

“Hi, Jughead.” he said. “Soulmate,” Archie then added, tasting the word in his mouth and he could hear someone gasp in the background but he just focused on Jughead, feeling the smooth skin of his cheeks, how it curved over his sharp cheekbones and jaw.

“Can we go somewhere more private?” Archie asked and glanced around, taking note of all eyes on them. Jughead glanced around and then nodded, grabbing his black backpack and stood up, eyes on the floor as Archie grabbed his hand and walked out.

Archie was over the moon, he didn't know Jughead but felt every cell in his body buzz as he walked close to the boy. He did, though, get a feeling that Jughead didn't feel the same, he did look relaxed but there was something with the boy that made a small nagging feeling erupt in his stomach. He then saw Jughead's eyes widen and he tore his eyes away from the small boy. Archie felt breathless as he looked around. It was all so beautiful, the sky had the same colour as Jughead's eyes and he stopped walking, just gazing up at it.

“Your eyes have that colour,” Archie told Jughead, who gazed up at the sky, too.

Jughead smiled and Archie squeezed his hand. “Blue then,” he stated quietly. “My mom said my eyes were the same colour of the sky, too,”

“My dad says my eyes are brown,”

“I like brown, then,”

They smiled at each other and then kept on walking. Neither of the two spoke, instead were eyeing everything from a new perspective. Archie lead them to a diner, where Jughead shyly asked for coffee and Archie kissed his cheek, telling the boy to find a booth and that he would get the coffee. Archie bought himself a milkshake.

Jughead gave him a small smile when he sat down and started to sip at his coffee. Archie took out his phone and googled the colours and the next hour was spent learning about the different shades. Archie had pointed at something in the diner and Jughead had tried to put a name on the colour.

Archie ordered another tea for Jughead when he finished his and one for himself, as well. They talked about their families and lives, Archie babbling on about his father and friends and dog. Jughead didn't tell him much, but his lips curled into a grin as he told Archie about his younger sister, Jellybean. Archie thought Jughead looked the most beautiful when he smiled.

When Jughead suddenly told him that he had to go after glancing at the clock, Archie asked for his number and then took a picture of the boy when he was done. He kissed Jughead’s cheek goodbye and maybe, just maybe, he looked at the picture and put names on every colour he could see on Jughead. All from tanned skin to sky blue eyes and dark brown hair, pale red lips and the faint blush of crimson.

-

As time went on Harry texted Lou as much as he could and called him every night they didn't meet up and he could see how Jughead became happier and happier, and Archie was giddy, cause it was because him that Jughead smiled more and texted small, ‘I miss you's’ when they went a day without seeing each other.

Archie had some obsession with taking pictures of himself and Jughead all the time, wanting to capture every moment in colour. Of Jughead on their first date, a red long sleeved sweater and black skinny jeans, his hair in a messy fringe. Of Jughead when they cuddled and he was wearing one of Archie’s ‘Riverdale Bulldogs’ hoodies or when they were out and he had a blue button up that matched his eyes. That one was Archie’s favourite.

-

“Babe, can you pass me the glass, I can't reach it,” Jughead said as he stood in front the kitchen counter in Archie’s small house. His naked thighs looking smooth from where they peeked out under Archie’s hoodies.

“Of course, Jug,” Archie murmured as he walked up to him, kissing him gently on the forehead and retrieving his glass down from the top shelf. Jughead laughed quietly and grabbed the glass from Archie, the sleeves of the sweater riding up a bit. Archie chuckled but then abruptly stopped.

“Forsythe...” Archie said warningly and it sent cold shivers down Jughead’s spine. Archie never used his real name. Archie took the glass from Jughead and smacked it onto the counter, making it crack. The smaller boy flinched and looked up at Archie, scared.

“What was that?” His hands shook and Jughead honestly couldn't figure out why Archie looked like he was about to cry and Jughead’s soul wept with him.

“What?” he asked, reaching out to cup Archie’s cheek but the taller grabbed his hand and pulled up the sleeve, revealing pale thick lines, the scab scratched away so the only remaining proof was the scars, loads of them messily over each other when there wasn't more skin to break.

Jughead froze, feeling the bile crawl it's way up his throat and tears to his eyes. “I'm so sorry Archie,” he whispered.

“How many times?” Archie asked and Jughead looked at him confused. “How many times did you do this and I wasn't there?” The brown eyed boy closed his eyes as tears fell down.

“No, Archie, baby. I haven't done this since I met you,” Jughead tried to hide his skin back under the sleeve of the hoodie.

“If I had met you sooner that none of this-” Archie cried out. “I could have stopped it sooner if I-”

“No, baby. None of this is your fault, okay?” Jughead cried with him, standing on his tip toes to gently kiss Archie. “I did this to myself. Blame me, Archie. Don't blame yourself,” he whispered against his lips, kissing away the tears. “I have never been happier than this, you make me the happiest. Maybe I have bad days still, but then you're there and it sorta goes away.” Archie just nodded, resting his forehead against his soulmate's.

“Fuck, Jug. I love you so much, you can't just-” he choked and squeezed his eyes shut. “Don't leave me, Jug.”

“I wont baby. I wont. I love you.”

“I- I need to kiss you,” and so Jughead pressed their lips together and it was messy and it was desperate with tears and Archie still sobbed but Jughead whispered 'make love to me', and Archie nodded furiously. Wanting, needing to be close to Jughead in a way he had never been before.

He hosted Jughead up so the boy could wrap his legs around his waist and carried him to his room, whispering to him how much he loved him.

They took their time, Archie kissing up Jughead’s body and paying extra attention to his arms. He just needed to take care of him, he failed before so he had to make it up to his soulmate now.

“I love you,” he murmured into his skin later as he slowly thrusted inside the boy, his fingers slippery from the lube as he cradled Jughead’s skin.

“I love you, too,”

-

Archie’s granddad died when even though he didn't feel so sad because all his focus was on his Jughead, he went back to Riverdale for the funeral. His grandma cried and told Archie that everything was back to black and white, that she could feel the exact second her soulmate died.

All the talk about dead soulmates made Archie nervous and he left as soon as it was over. Jughead was sleeping when he came home and Archie kissed his forehead and then snuggled up next to Jughead, falling asleep.

-

The pair talked and talked, both hesitant at first, but they finally agreed. They were going to adopt a foster kid. They soon found out that the foster child was a girl and they painted a room pink, buying a sparkling bed and a thousand stuffed animals. Mary bought cute clothes and Gladys toys.

A week later the whole room was done, everything was either pink or white with princess stickers on the walls and the stuffed animals where placed neatly on the bed.

Archie stood behind Jughead, his hands resting on his waist as he gently kissed the smaller boy's neck. They both admired the room, picturing a small girl running around giggling as they played with her.

-

There were days when Jughead never stopped smiling, surprising Archie with small gifts when he came home from work. But then there were days where Jughead was so sad that Harry took all sharp thing in the flat and locked them in his closet. But there where never a new line on Jughead’s wrist.

Archie was so proud of him that he kisses the other boy breathless.

-  
The day came when Archie and Jughead were supposed to go pick up their little girl. They were both giddy with excitement, stealing kisses from each other all day as they waited for the time when they would leave. They received a phone call, however, telling them that the court didn’t think that a homosexual couple would be suit enough to take care of her.

Jughead didn't speak much when he Archie told him the news. One night, Archie found him in the pink room, holding a razor blade pressed against his skin but not cutting it. Just staring around the room with dull eyes. Archie had cried, begged Jughead to not do it and then carried the boy to their bed.

The door to the pink room was locked after that.

-

Archie had hid all the sharp items in the flat. He could live without shaving at home. He could live without cutting up meat with a knife. He just had to protect his Jughead because the boy couldn't do it for himself right now.

“Will you be okay if I go down to the store and buy some more milk?” he asked Jughead one afternoon. This morning the boy even ate all of his breakfast, and maybe he just wanted Archie to think he's happy, or maybe he actually is getting better. Archie prayed for the ladder.

“Yes. Of course,” Jughead said, his eyes glancing on their bedroom door for just a second before he locked eyes with Archie. “I love you,” Jughead said as he got up, hugging the taller boy close and breathed him in, squeezing Archie with everything he had. “so much.”

“I love you, too,” Archie kissed him and then left to run to the store. Maybe he should have been suspicious about the random 'I love you,’ Jughead had said.

Archie quickly walked to the store and picked the milk he knew Jughead liked the best. It was when he stood in line that he froze. He could feel his arms bleed and the rough texture of a rope around his neck.

Everything was in black and white.


End file.
